"It's a stinky, smelly side passage. If you want to crawl around in there, my brother, have at it. I'm sticking to the main passage. Still stinky, but more head room." Lia shakes her head and thinks to herself, "I could have been in town, contemplating someone drunk with deep pockets, but no, I'm in a hole in the ground picking the lesser of two stinky evils. Please, someone bash me over the head!
Yea T that passage looks bad. I think it might be where our creature friend lived. Just in case they come in pairs, lets head out.
"As you wish my lovelies, right it is"
The main passage twists its way deeper into the soggy earth. The floor and walls alternate between sharp limestone passages and root clogged dirt tunnels. It is a tight, dirty, and insect-filled journey that slopes ever downward. With each step, you're acutely aware that the climb back to open air gets that much longer.
A composite map of the underground is here.
Around the corner is a narrow cave filled with softly glowing fungi. The smell here is a wretched combination of death and rotten eggs. Spicy and nauseating at the same time. The cave narrows beyond the patch of fungus then appears to open up into a larger chamber beyond that has no discernible light.
Brenin whispers to Rees, "This looks bad. Maybe our elf friend knows something about this. If not, I'll see what I can make of it. Let's go back and tell the others."
Yea Brenin, lets see what are friends think. It seems ominous to me. Usually fire works well on all manner of stuff. We could try to burn it or we can walk right through and hope whatever it is doesn't sense us.
"I'm pretty sure we came down here to die my sweet" say Tryst full of sarcasm and a wry smile for the party. Shifting gears he directs a deadly serious glare in the direction of Kwava. "Hey "friend". If any one of my family gets hurt for the favor we are doing you here, the drow b!tch is going to be the least of your worries. You should be at point with our man, night vision or no."
Trystan, vent your spleen not too hard against our pointed eared friend here. Kwava, what is this dark b$$%%'s connection to the blot that darkens the sky? I have no love for the dark creatures that corrupt this land and would be happy to end this dark one, but we are seeking answers to the evil that seems to seeking a hold in the world.
I don't know that we need to burn this mild bt of nastiness if our relative silence might aid our endeavors.
What are we walking towards, elven friend? Some insights would be as welcome as flowers to the deathly stink of this place.
Brenin, does your deep knowledge lend any warnings of these fungusnand dread growths?
Kwava listens to the description of what's ahead, then inches forward for a brief peek himself. He returns very quietly indeed.
"There's something moving around in that far cave. Something breathing. I don't know the danger posed by the fungi, but I'm willing to be the first to move through them to get to the drow and find out what she's doing here."
"There cannot be a darklands road here - so close to the city - or it would be known. So she's not emerged locally, but is here for a reason. The drow dwell in chambers deep below the earth - they despise the surface world and the sun that lights it. She will not be here accidentally."
"Based on our proximity to the old human relic outside, it's probably connected to the Cyphergate." The Cyphergate rises out of a rocky knoll at the head of the swamp, some small distance to the north of the sinkhole where you entered.
"The connection with blot comes from the meet that your group broke up between Rondo and the drow. The wizard thought the two phenomena were connected. It certainly sounds plausible to me."
He looks around at the lot of you in the glare and heat of the close-held torch, trying to read your faces. "Obviously there's more, but this is not the place for it, and none of the other information I have is going to help us with her."
"It's my duty to try and take her and so I am trying it. None of you share that duty and I cannot pay you with anything more than a claim to the items she carries. And the gratitude of a society that I belong to, for whatever that's worth."
"Alright, I'll check it out. Stand close enough to hear my agonizing death if something goes wrong."
The mushrooms do not zap Brenin or implant him with any alien spores. They just sit there and glow softly, and this is only one or two of them. There's all kinds of fungi here and none of them look familiar. But it does seem like an unnaturally dense patch of fungus for this one cave. Maybe they're attracted to the smell.
Kwava flanks Brenin by following the left wall. He crouches low behind a large toadstool and peers into the chamber beyond, bow prepared.
As Brenin advances his view of the next chamber widens a bit. The room's bisected by a 3-5' ledge, the far end of the chamber is higher than the near. The floor is rough and in a couple of places wet. Stalagmite columns form the back wall, but it's impossible to tell anything definite about the back of the chamber since it's higher than Brenin's vantage.
Crouched on the ledge is a wiry lizard man holding a crude spear. He notices Brenin's shadow in the soft light at the same moment that Brenin spots him. He barks in surprise and takes up his weapon.
Trystan levels his bolt on the hideous reptilian and manuevers for the best possible shot.
Brenin needs to pass a DC 13 Fortitude save versus nausea as the monster springs down from the ledge and stands in the center of the room (14,6).
Brenin chokes back the bile as he nears his foe.
The cave with the mushrooms qualifies as low-light, so the elves and half-elves can see but the humans suffer -4 to actions. This is the situation up to the farther chamber. In the farther chamber, humans with unaided vision are blind (see core 442). Half-elves and Elves suffer -4 from about x=11 to x=14. Beyond x=14, the elves are blind as well and only darkvision-endowed folks can see.
Despite these restrictions, Kwava steps up to the 'doorway' of the cave and lets an arrow fly into the melee between Brenin and the lizard monster. The shaft takes the skinny lizard right in the side causing it to retch in pain.
"He's not the only one. There's more up on the ledge."
Trystan steps forward , reaches down with his free hand and casts light on the biggest mushroom in arms reach.
Let's run these snake men through, I care not for the stench that the leave. Perhaps their corpses will smell more pleasant. The Raven's Blade is hungry for some cold blood, and I could use a new belt.
Two more smelly lizards emerge from concealment behind columns to throw javelins at Kwava standing in the 'door' to their cavern. Both of these missiles are offline and the crude weapons clatter against the stone walls to either side of the elf.
Two other monsters - Brenin's original enemy and another who emerges from around a near corner on the shelf - throw themselves at Brenin. They come with crude clubs, clawed hands, and snapping bites from their fetid jaws. In the confused melee, each of the monsters lands a blow with their club.
"Is that the best you got?"
Not knowing what else to do, I move next to Isegrim at 6,8. I try to get a glimpse of the enemies eyes with the intent to slumber.
And just in case it is needed, my fortitude is 14+1=15
Brenin's stabs the monster under the arm. It screams and drops to the ground. Brenin backs out of the range of his other attacker as Rees's witchcraft overwhelms it.
oh yea, quick someone coup de grace him!
Lia steps up and adds to the road block. "Way to go Rees!" She does a little booty shake and then admires the man-meat in front of her.
Brenin: Do you have a unicorn tattoo?
Kwava tosses a vial against the back wall of the farther cave where it shatters. Bits of glass rain down in a shower of chemical sparks as the flames of an alchemical fire grenade spring to life. Some of the burning fluid splashes onto the monster perched on the shelf and it screeches and flails at the persistent drop of pain.
The fire on the wall drains down to the floor, creating a field of flame that now dimly lights the combat.
By the Ascendent Beers of Cayden these foul beasties smell like Trytan's cooking! Ready your putrid guts for a taste of cold steel...as soon as I can get there. Fall back a bit Brenin, let them try their claws against this steel turtle shell which weighs me back. It is perhaps a bit more durable than your delicate Ranger's complexion.
And Isegrim readies to attack these snake bastards.
Trystan's crossbow lets loose a mighty twang in the direction of the downed opponent. He immediately reloads after.
Trystan's crossbow lets loose a mighty wang in the direction of the downed opponent. He immediately reloads after.